Dr. Paula McNeill: Documenting Lives Through Art

VALDOSTA -- Art educator and photographer Dr. Paula McNeill divides her time between Valdosta, where she is an associate professor of art at Valdosta State University, and Escalante, Utah, where her family has had a summer home since 1980. McNeill received her B.A. in art from Arizona State University-Tempe, her M.A. from the University of New Mexico-Albuquerque and her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

With an interest in community art, McNeill has documented the art and lives of visual artists in southern Utah through videotaped oral history interviews for more than 10 years. She has published some of these findings and has made numerous presentations at state and national meetings on this research topic, including invited speaker for the Featured Artist at the Escalante Canyons Art Festival for eight years since its 2004 inception.

McNeill is currently involved in a similar regional research study, The South Georgia Artists Oral History Project, documenting local artist/teachers in South Georgia where she lives and works.

McNeill’s local, state and regional presentations for Fall 2011 included:
Inspired by Grandeur: The Art and Life of Western Landscape Painter Valerie Orlemann, featured artist for the Eighth Annual Escalante Canyons Art Festival (Everett Ruess Days), September 22-25, 20ll, Escalante, Utah

‘Smile on a Stick:’ Creative Writing from Photographs, Second Annual Core Matters Conference, October 7-8, 2011, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia

‘Smile on a Stick:’ Creative Writing from Photographs, Creativity Everyday, Georgia Art Education Association (GAEA) Professional Development Fall Conference, October 20-22, 2011, Marietta, Georgia

In association with the above GAEA conference, McNeill’s photograph, Brett’s Bike, was juried into Unmasking Creativity: Process & Product, The Georgia Art Education Association 2011 Member Exhibition (Jurors: Lanny Milbrandt and Enid Zimmerman), August 24-October 22, 2011, The Art Gallery, Sturgis Library, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia

Narrative Inquiry: the South Georgia Artists Oral History Project, Art Education Forum XI-B: Research, Instruction, and Best Practices Panel, Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), November 9-12, 20ll, Savannah, Georgia

Spring 2012:
McNeill presented Doing Narrative Inquiry in Art Education: Artist/Teachers Oral History Project at the National Art Education Association (NAEA) annual meeting held in New York City, March 1-4, 2012.

In addition, McNeill’s photographs, Brett’s Bike and Bird Girl, were juried into the 2012 NAEA Women’s Caucus Exhibition: Emerging Perspectives (juror Howardena Pindell) held at NAEA March 1-4, 2012 and published in an upcoming exhibition catalog.